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Chapter: 05. Expansion Of The Delhi Sultanate The Khilji And The Tughlaq Dynasties

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Exercises

A. Fill in the blanks.

The founder of the Khilji dynasty was _______________.
Answer: Jalaluddin Khilji
Alauddin was the first Turkish ruler to build an _______________ in India.
Answer: empire
Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq was an _______________ administrator and a _______________ military commander.
Answer: efficient, capable
Muhammad bin Tughlaq realized the importance of a strong and powerful _______________ to strengthen and secure the position of the _______________. He needed additional _______________ to increase his military resources.
Answer: army, ruler, revenue
Firoz Shah’s economic reforms improved _______________ and made the peasants _______________ and _______________.
Answer: agricultural production, prosperous, happy

B. Match the following.

1. Firoz Shah Tughlaq
2. Chanderi
3. Warangal
4. Jalaluddin Khilji
5. Sikandar Lodi
(a) Deccan
(b) Afghan
© a mild and pious man
(d) Malwa
(e) welfare schemes
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Answer:
1. Firoz Shah Tughlaq matches with (e) welfare schemes
2. Chanderi matches with (d) Malwa
3. Warangal matches with (a) Deccan
4. Jalaluddin Khilji matches with © a mild and pious man
5. Sikandar Lodi matches with (b) Afghan

C. Choose the correct answer.

Alauddin conquered Chittor, the capital of Mewar/Malwa/Warangal.
Answer: Mewar
Alauddin was the first Turkish ruler to send an expedition to Gujarat/Rajasthan/the Deccan.
Answer: the Deccan
Most historians have traced the failure of Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s schemes to his character/education/intelligence.
Answer: character
Firoz Shah laid out about 1,200 gardens and orchards/lakes/roads around Delhi.
Answer: gardens and orchards
The final blow to the Delhi Sultanate was dealt by the invasion of Babur/Timur/Khizr Khan.
Answer: Timur

D. State whether the following are true or false. Rewrite the false statements correctly.

Under Alauddin, spies were kept in every unit of the army.
Answer: True
Alauddin’s death was followed by a period of great political turmoil.
Answer: True
Muhammad bin Tughlaq was a diligent ruler who undertook projects that were brilliantly conceived and executed.
Answer: False.
Correct Statement: Muhammad bin Tughlaq was a diligent ruler who undertook projects that were brilliantly conceived but poorly executed and always ended in failure.
Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s policy of increasing the taxes in the Ganga-Yamuna Doab region led to the development of agriculture in that region.
Answer: False.
Correct Statement: Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s policy of increasing taxes in the Ganga-Yamuna Doab region coincided with a severe famine, causing the ruined peasants to abandon their lands, which dealt agriculture a severe setback.
Muhammad bin Tughlaq stayed in Daulatabad for 5 years.
Answer: False.
Correct Statement: Muhammad bin Tughlaq shifted his capital back to Delhi after 2 years.

E. My mixed bag

Identify the odd one out. (a) Alauddin Khilji (b) Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq © Muhammad bin Tughlaq (d) Babur
Answer: (d) Babur. (Reason: Babur was a Mughal ruler, whereas the other three were sultans of the Delhi Sultanate belonging to the Khilji and Tughlaq dynasties.)
Arrange the following events in a chronological order. (a) Timur’s invasion of India (b) The First Battle of Panipat © Conquest of the Deccan (d) Transfer of Capital from Delhi to Devagiri
Answer: © Conquest of the Deccan (1300s under Alauddin Khilji) → (d) Transfer of Capital from Delhi to Devagiri (1326–1327 CE under Muhammad bin Tughlaq) → (a) Timur’s invasion of India (1398–1399 CE) → (b) The First Battle of Panipat (1526 CE)
Read the statements given below and choose the correct option. ​(A) Assertion: Muhammad bin Tughlaq introduced token currency to tide over a major financial crisis in the Sultanate. ​(B) Reason: The token currency project failed due to faulty execution. (a) (A) is true but (B) is false. (b) (A) is false but (B) is true. © (A) and (B) are both true. (d) (A) and (B) are both false.
Answer: © (A) and (B) are both true.

F. Answer the following questions in one or two words/sentences.

Under what circumstances did Alauddin ascend the throne of Delhi?
Answer: Alauddin treacherously murdered his uncle, Sultan Jalaluddin Khilji, won over the nobles by bribing them with rich gifts, had Jalaluddin’s heirs blinded or killed to remove all obstacles, and then ascended the throne.
What did the Rajput women in the royal palace do when Alauddin Khilji captured Chittor?
Answer: The Rajput women performed jauhar and burnt themselves to death.
Who led Alauddin’s Deccan campaigns?
Answer: Malik Kafur, a slave who was bought for 1,000 dinars and rose to become a general in Alauddin’s army.
Mention any one economic reform introduced in the Doab region by Firoz Shah Tughlaq.
Answer: He reduced land taxes in the Doab region and cancelled all loans that had been given to farmers during the famine.
Give an example to show that Firoz Shah was concerned about the welfare of his subjects.
Answer: He set up free hospitals for the poor, built rest houses for travellers, established an employment bureau, and created a charity department for widows, orphans, and the needy.
Who defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the First Battle of Panipat?
Answer: Babur, a descendant of Timur, defeated Ibrahim Lodi in 1526 CE.

G. Give reasons for the following.

Why was it important for Alauddin Khilji to gain the trust of the nobility when he became the sultan?
Answer: Alauddin ascended the throne through the treacherous murder of his uncle and the violent elimination of his heirs. To secure his illegitimate hold on the throne, minimize the threat of immediate revolts, and win over those who might oppose him, he had to gain the support and trust of the nobility.
Why did Muhammad bin Tughlaq transfer the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad?
Answer: He transferred the capital because Devagiri (renamed Daulatabad) was centrally located and nearly equidistant from Delhi and other important parts of his expanding empire, and it offered a safe distance from repeated Mongol invasions that threatened Delhi.
Why did Muhammad bin Tughlaq abandon his scheme of territorial expansion?
Answer: He abandoned his plan to conquer Khurasan, Persia, and Iraq because he realized the immense logistical difficulty of sending and maintaining a massive army across the snowy passes of the Himalayas.

H. Answer the following questions briefly.

With reference to the following conquests, briefly explain how Alauddin extended the boundaries of the Delhi Sultanate: (a) Conquest of Gujarat (b) Conquest of the Rajput states
Answer:
(a) Conquest of Gujarat: Alauddin sent an military expedition to Gujarat, which successfully conquered and annexed the region. During this campaign, he acquired the slave Malik Kafur, who went on to become his top general.
(b) Conquest of the Rajput states: Alauddin captured the key fort of Ranthambore and then invaded Chittor, the capital of Mewar, defeating the brave Rajputs. This was followed by the capture of other major cities in Malwa, including Mandu, Ujjain, Dhar, and Chanderi, making him the master of northern India by 1305 CE.
Give an account of Alauddin Khilji’s (a) Deccan conquest and (b) Deccan policy.
Answer:
(a) Deccan conquest: Led by his general Malik Kafur, Alauddin’s army crossed the Vindhyas and defeated the rulers of Devagiri, Warangal, and Dwarasamudra, reaching as far south as Madurai, which was heavily plundered.
(b) Deccan policy: Alauddin chose not to annex the Deccan because he realized it would be difficult to govern these distant southern territories from Delhi. Instead, his main goal was to acquire immense wealth to maintain his army and administration. He forced the southern rulers to acknowledge his supremacy and pay a heavy annual tribute.
How did Alauddin protect the Delhi Sultanate from repeated Mongol invasions?
Answer: Alauddin repaired and strengthened the forts along the routes of Mongol attacks and placed frontier provinces under his best generals. He reorganized and enlarged his standing army, had captured Mongol leaders trampled to death by elephants, and ordered the massacre of Mongol converts settled in Delhi to prevent internal conspiracies.
Why is Muhammad bin Tughlaq regarded as one of the most accomplished and learned scholars of his times?
Answer: He possessed a keen intellect and an extraordinary memory, having mastered subjects like logic, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and physical sciences. He was also highly skilled in calligraphy, fine arts, music, and was a great lover of Persian poetry and literature.
Discuss the causes and results of Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s taxation scheme in the Doab.
Answer:
Causes: The sultan needed a massive amount of revenue to build, maintain, and secure a strong standing army.
Results: The increased land tax coincided with a severe famine in the fertile Ganga-Yamuna Doab. Tax collectors forced payment with great cruelty, causing the ruined peasants to abandon their fields and flee to the jungles. This resulted in a severe setback to agriculture, and the government’s relief measures came too late.
What arrangements did Muhammad bin Tughlaq make to achieve his ambition of a world empire? Why did his scheme fail?
Answer:
Arrangements: He mobilized, fully equipped, and trained a massive standing army, paying them an entire year’s salary in advance.
Failure: The project had to be abandoned because it was highly difficult and impractical to send a massive army across the snowy Himalayan mountain passes. This failure resulted in a massive drain on the royal treasury.
What was the condition of the Delhi Sultanate at the end of Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s reign?
Answer: At the end of his 25-year reign, the Sultanate was in a state of decay and disintegration. The treasury was empty, his authority was undermined, and widespread revolts had broken out. Distant provinces like Bengal and Sind declared independence, and new independent kingdoms (Vijayanagar and Bahmani in the south, and Mewar in the north) arose.
To what would you attribute the failure of Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s schemes—personal character or prevailing conditions? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
Both played a significant role:
Personal Character: He lacked practical sense, was whimsical and unpredictable, and did not properly plan his schemes. For instance, during his token currency experiment, he failed to keep coin-minting as a state monopoly, which led to widespread counterfeiting.
Prevailing Conditions: The people of his time were conservative, backward, and not receptive to radical, progressive reforms. Moreover, the powerful religious ulemas withdrew their support because he refused to let them interfere in administrative matters.
Mention Firoz Shah’s contribution in the fields of (a) architecture and (b) education and learning.
Answer:
(a) Architecture: Firoz Shah was a prolific builder. He founded several new cities (like Firozabad/Firoz Shah Kotla, Firozpur, Jaunpur, and Hisar), constructed works of public utility like wells, dams, and canals, and laid out 1,200 fruit gardens and orchards around Delhi which became a lucrative source of revenue.
(b) Education and learning: He established numerous schools and colleges, patronized learned scholars, and sponsored the translation of Hindu religious texts and music manuscripts from Sanskrit into Persian.
Give an account of a comparison of the Khiljis and the Tughlaqs related to various aspects of their reign.
Answer:
Foreign and Military Policy: Alauddin followed an aggressive, practical, and highly successful expansionist policy. In contrast, Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s foreign schemes were overly ambitious and impractical, while Firoz Shah’s policies were weak and ineffective, leading to the disintegration of the empire.
Relationship with Nobles: Alauddin ruled with an iron fist, restricting the social gatherings and marriages of his nobles and deploying a vast spy network. Firoz Shah adopted a policy of conciliation, increasing their salaries and making the iqta system hereditary, which eventually weakened royal authority.
State and Religion: Alauddin was the first to separate state politics from religion, defying the ulemas. Firoz Shah chose to run the state strictly according to Islamic shariah and allowed the ulemas to advise and influence his administration.
Similarities: Rulers of both dynasties were absolute despots, patrons of art and learning, and implemented welfare schemes to improve the economic conditions of their subjects.

I. Source-based questions

Picture study: This is a picture of the most beautiful specimen of Khilji architecture, which was added as an entrance to the Qutb complex in Delhi.
Identify the monument.
Answer: Alai Darwaza
During whose reign was it built?
Answer: Alauddin Khilji
With reference to the reign of this ruler, mention two important features of each of the following: (a) Reorganization of the army (b) Revenue reforms © Market control policy
Answer:
(a) Reorganization of the army:
He laid the foundation of a permanent standing army of greatly enlarged size.
He introduced the system of branding horses (dagh) and maintaining a descriptive roll of the soldiers (chehra) to prevent corruption.
(b) Revenue reforms:
The land was measured and the state’s share of the harvest was fixed and increased from one-third to half of the total yield.
All taxes had to be paid strictly in cash, and special revenue officials were appointed for direct tax collection.
© Market control policy:
He established three separate markets in Delhi (for food grains; expensive fabrics/luxury items; and horses, slaves, and cattle), each supervised by an officer called a shahna.
Prices of all essential commodities were fixed and kept low, and anyone caught hoarding goods or cheating on weights was severely punished (such as cutting off equivalent flesh from their body).

J. Map work

On an outline map of the Indian subcontinent, mark and label: (a) the expansion of the Delhi Sultanate by Alauddin Khilji, (b) the areas under Muhammad bin Tughlaq.
Answer:
(a) Expansion of the Delhi Sultanate by Alauddin Khilji: Shade the northern and central Indian regions (including Gujarat, Malwa, Chittor, and Ranthambore) as part of the direct empire. Draw arrows pointing southwards of the Vindhyas towards Devagiri, Warangal, Dwarasamudra, and Madurai to represent Malik Kafur’s military campaigns.
(b) Areas under Muhammad bin Tughlaq: Shade almost the entire Indian subcontinent, extending from the Himalayas down to the Deccan and southern parts (excluding the extreme southern tip), representing the maximum extent of the Tughlaq empire around 1350 CE.
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